Chennai at a glance
- Chennai ranks 3rd of 10 priced cities in India on cost: $267 a month in essentials, 8% above Kochi, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $762 covers that 2.9×.
- 97 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at district level.
- PM2.5 averages 19.9 µg/m³ a year, 4× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 10 India cities we track, so every row says whether Chennai is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $267 | $296 | $30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $109 | $131 | $22 |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $181 | $206 | $26 |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $51 | $52 | $0 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $50 | $66 | 1.32× as much |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $47 | $48 | $0 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $10 | $10 | same |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $762 | $654 | $108 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $293 | $306 | $12 |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $492 | $542 | $50 |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Chennai, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $2.09 | $3.00 | 1.44× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $12.54 | $15.67 | $3.13 |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $4.18 | $4.18 | same |
| Cappuccino, regular | $1.67 | $1.90 | $0.23 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $1.57 | $2.12 | 1.35× as much |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $3.03 | $3.42 | $0.39 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $0.35 | $0.41 | $0.06 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.16 | $0.15 | $0.01 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $0.55 | $0.68 | $0.12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $0.51 | $0.51 | same |
| White rice, 1 kg | $0.71 | $0.73 | $0.02 |
| Eggs, 12 | $0.84 | $0.97 | $0.14 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $5.53 | $5.57 | $0.04 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $3.40 | $3.42 | $0.02 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $2.90 | $2.40 | $0.50 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $0.83 | $0.74 | $0.08 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $0.49 | $0.49 | $0.01 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $0.45 | $0.38 | $0.07 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $0.42 | $0.40 | $0.02 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $0.29 | $0.31 | $0.02 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $0.31 | $0.31 | same |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $10.45 | $10.45 | same |
| Taxi start | $1.04 | $0.78 | 1.32× as much |
| Taxi, 1 km | $0.37 | $0.31 | $0.06 |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.09 | $1.10 | $0.01 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $38.53 | $39.30 | $0.77 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $8.08 | $8.00 | $0.08 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $4.45 | $4.21 | $0.24 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $14.07 | $18.52 | 1.32× as much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $2.61 | $3.40 | 1.30× as much |
Dating-age sex ratio
Chennai has 97 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (district level). That is the 9th-highest of 10 India cities we track. India's national figure is 109.4, so Chennai runs 12 below the country as a whole.
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Chennai ranks against every city we track
Chennai sits ahead of 99% of the 534 cities we track on salary against local costs. On cost of living it is ahead of 98% of 542. Its weakest measure is clean air, ahead of only 17% of 898.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Chennai sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
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Photo: jamal haider from india, CC BY-SA 2.0.
